Author Geraldine McCaughrean celebrates her new book at the Theatre Royal, Margate.

Inspired by the book The Positively Last Performance by Geraldine McCaughrean, pupils from Hartsdown Academy have transformed the library windows into a colourful interpretation of the book’s fictitious landscape and characters of Seashaw which was based on Margate’s rich heritage.

The story is about an abandoned theatre, a curious girl, and a cast of ghosts.

Margate’s Turner Contemporary, Theatre Royal and Dreamland are just some of the familiar places visitors to the library will see on display.

Nicola Wood, who organised the art project, and head of art at Hartsdown David Burgess both commented on how the youngsters were well behaved and enjoyed the project.

She said: “It was wonderful to see how the book inspired the students to be so creative. None of them had visited Cliftonville library before, and they really embraced the whole experience”.

Groups of pupils visited Margate library and the historic Theatre Royal in Addington Street with author Geraldine McCaughrean.

They discussed how the venue and its legends inspired her book and they visited backstage, the upper seating areas, the private boxes, and the main stage, before getting their copies of the book signed by the author.

The Margate Town Read project aims to bring the whole community together to read, celebrate and enjoy Geraldine’s novel. Lots of events are taking place as part of this project which runs until March 28 when it culminates in a finale at the Theatre Royal.